The Archbishop of Canterbury supports the ‘Rome Call’ effort for the ethical development of artificial intelligence, saying: “Let us all work to ensure that the dignity of every human being, created by God, not for profit or productive, is at the heart of everything we do. .”
Vatican News
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, joined other illustrious leaders, ethicists and university professors in signing the “The Call from Rome” for the ethical development of artificial intelligence. Archbishop Welby, leader of the Anglican Communion, supported the initiative on April 30 during a ceremony in Rome at the headquarters of the Pontifical Academy for Lifeaccording to a note from the Academy and its RenAIssance Foundation.
The Call for AI Ethics is a document that “aims to foster a shared sense of responsibility for human dignity in the context of rapid technological progress.”
Working for human dignity
“I am delighted to support the Rome Call on AI, which emphasizes the dignity of every human being in the context of technological change,” said Archbishop Welby, signing the document on behalf of the Church from England.
“Although we cannot predict the future, we know that scientific and technological progress will continue to develop rapidly and we must prepare for it,” he stressed. While recognizing the enormous potential that AI can offer “to enhance human capabilities,” He stressed that we must also strive to “protect, preserve and cherish the dignity of the human person.” The enormous progress made in the field of AI “cannot therefore be the exclusive property of its developers, nor of any part of the human race”. ”, but benefit everyone by serving the common good, preserving the climate and aiming for sustainable development.
“How we understand artificial intelligence,” Archbishop Welby concluded, “largely boils down to how we understand the nature of the human being” and how we work together “to ensure that the dignity of every being human, created by God, non-profit”. or productivity, is at the heart of everything we do.
Looking towards the common good
Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, President of the Pontifical Academy for Life and the RenAIssance Foundation, expressed satisfaction with the “inclusion” of our Anglican brothers and sisters and thus the “new stage of growth” of the Appeal from Rome. “When reflection and dialogue on issues of technological development meet in a spirit of fraternity,” he writes, “it is possible to find common paths and effective solutions to build peace and the common good.”
Father Paolo Benanti, Extraordinary Professor of Ethics of Technology at the Pontifical Gregorian University and Scientific Director of the RenAIssance Foundation, also enthusiastically welcomed the event, saying: “With this new growth of the Rome Call, we can look with renewed confidence at algorithmethics, that is to say, at the positive contribution of the ethical approach to artificial intelligence. It’s never just about innovation. It is rather a question of transforming the latter into human development. It is also very important that the heritage of human wisdom represented by religions addresses all of humanity, valuing what is shared in order to meet contemporary challenges.
Since the Rome Call was launched in February 2020, many stakeholders have signed the document, including representatives of the Abrahamic religions and the Italian government, as well as companies such as Microsoft, IBM and Cisco.
Rome’s Call for AI Ethics
The Rome Call for AI Ethics is a document designed and promoted by the Pontifical Academy for Life, as well as the RenAIssance Foundation, established by Pope Francis in 2021 with the aim of promoting his call for an ethical approach to artificial intelligence. The idea is to foster a sense of shared responsibility among international organizations, governments, institutions and the private sector in efforts to create a future in which every individual can benefit from technological advances, and so that progress technology guarantees the dignity of people. each individual and our common home are respected. By investing in new algorithms, signatories commit to following the principles of the Rome Call in terms of transparency, inclusion, accountability, impartiality, reliability, security and confidentiality.
RenAIssance Foundation
The non-profit association RenAIssance Foundation promoted by the Pontifical Academy for Life aims to support anthropological and ethical reflection on new technologies and their influence on human life. By promoting the Rome Call for AI Ethics, the RenAIssance Foundation supports scientific initiatives and collaboration with international organizations, nations, universities, research centers, private and public companies that develop activities, services and studies in the field of artificial intelligence.
